ABSTRACT

The study is on gender-based analysis of labour utilization and productivity differentials in rice production in Enugu State, Nigeria. Multi-stage sampling technique was employed to select 120 respondents. Primary data were collected with the use of a well-structured questionnaire through the aid of enumerators. Relevant descriptive and inferential statistics such as frequencies, percentages, means, standard deviation, Z-test and multiple regression models were used for data analysis. The result showed that mean ages were 43 and 42 years for females and males; while 70% of the female rice farmers were married and 48.33% of the male rice farmers were married. The mean household sizes were 7 and 6 persons for male and female respondents respectively while majority (100%) and (88.3%) of the respondents had formal education for both female and male rice farmers. The mean hectares cultivated were 2.18 and 2.62 for female and male farmers respectively. A combination of family labour and hired sources contributed most of the labour supplied for rice production for female (71.6%) and male (88.3%) rice farmers in the area. It is evident from the result that male rice farmers were more productive than their female counterpart. The Z-value was 8.421 significant at 1% level of probability and positively signed. Labour utilization of the male farmers was positively influenced by distance, farm size, land ownership, credit and education while labour utilization of the female farmers was positively influenced by distance, farm size, age, and credit and negatively influenced by household size and extension. Also labour productivity of the male farmers was positively influenced by distance, farm size, age and credit and negatively influence by land ownership while labour productivity of the female farmers was positively influenced by distance, farm size, age and credit and negatively influenced by land ownership. Furthermore, the estimated production function of the female rice farmers indicated that farm size, labour and planting materials were the significant variables influencing the output of the female rice farmers while farm size, labour and fertilizer were the significant variables influencing the output of the male rice farmers. From the result above the nature of the returns to scale of an average male farmer in the study area was 1.078 while female farmer in the study area was 0.725. High incidence of pests was ranked as foremost constraints limiting rice production by male farmers while lack of market, road and social facilities was ranked as foremost constraints limiting rice production by female farmers. The study therefore recommends that farmers utilize their family labour efficiently in order to reduce the hired labour that increases the cost of rice production and decreases farm revenue. Also government and stakeholders should assist farmers through timely and adequate input supply, creating effective services and enabling environment, for efficient utilization of agricultural inputs on farms, which will lead to prospect in improving the productivity of of the rice farmers.